Gadolinium-functionalized carbon dot drug delivery systems: Synthesis, properties, dual-mode imaging, and tumor theranostics.

To improve the efficiency of tumor diagnosis and treatment, this study developed a novel diagnostic and therapeutic nanoplatform based on gadolinium-functionalized carbon dots (Gd-CDs), providing new insights for the design of tumor therapy assisted by fluorescence/magnetic resonance imaging (FL/MRI). Gd-CDs with excellent dispersion and stable photoluminescence properties were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method, and hyaluronic acid (HA) was modified onto their surfaces to prepare targeting Gd-CDs (Gd-CDs-HA). Lobaplatin (LBP) was loaded on Gd-CDs-HA by electrostatic adsorption to construct the drug delivery system (Gd-CDs-HA-LBP). The average particle size of Gd-CDs-HA was 1.85 nm, with an optimal excitation wavelength of 533 nm and an optimal emission wavelength of 640 nm. The longitudinal relaxation rate r was 58.701 mM s, and it exhibited a prolonged circulation time in vivo (approximately 6 h), enabling effective passive tumor targeting. When Gd-CDs-HA and LBP were mixed in a 5:2 M ratio to form Gd-CDs-HA-LBP, the maximum drug loading capacity reached 20.27%, with a release rate as high as 57.43% under acidic conditions. At a concentration of 20 μg/mL, it reduced the survival rate of H22 cells to 30.5%. It achieves efficient tumor suppression through the synergistic effect of the enhanced permeability and retention effect and active targeting in vivo, while reducing systemic toxicity (manifested as weight gain), demonstrating its high-efficiency and low-toxicity therapeutic advantages. Bioimaging experiments indicate its excellent targeting cell efficacy and FL/MRI dual-mode imaging capabilities. These results indicate that Gd-CDs-HA-LBP, as an efficient FL/MRI dual-mode imaging probe, holds great potential for application in tumor therapy.